Advertisers put obese people in the spotlight

12:12 PM,
Oct. 6, 2012

Obese people are showing up in the very place that's mostly excluded them for decades: ads. Some of the nation's largest brands are featuring images of obese folks in advertising like this Nike ad in a bid to change consumer behavior.

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Obese people are showing up in the very place that's mostly excluded them for decades: ads. Some of the nation's largest brands -- from Nike to Subway to Blue Cross Blue Shield -- are featuring images of obese folks in their advertising in a bid to change consumer behavior. Obesity is considered to be anything 20 percent or more over ideal weight.

The move comes at a time two in three adults are overweight or obese and disease caused by obesity cost Americans $145 billion last year. In the past, obese folks in ads often were the butts of jokes.